Welcome to Cedar Valley Connections, a newsletter to connect the leaders of the nonprofit sector.

Board Governance Workshop - This Thursday...

We invite nonprofit executive directors and board chairs as well as nonprofit professionals and board members to join
us as we host Karin McCan who will be speaking on: Partnerships that Work: Nonprofit Executives & Boards Moving Forward - Together on Thursday, August 3, 2017 from 8-9:30 a.m. at The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa.

Are you considering joining a board of directors? Are you on a board and unsure what exactly it is you should be doing? Have you just stepped into the board chair role and are unclear about your role? Are you an executive director struggling to find the right board members for your organization? If yes, this session is for you! Join us to learn:

About strategies to recruit and retain the right board members

How to structure an effective board orientation and board meeting

The six key roles and responsibilities of board members

The difference between governance and management

How board chairs and executive directors can effectively work together

Kari McCann Boutell has served as the President of the Iowa Council of Foundations since 2015. In this role, Kari works directly with the ICoF board of directors and oversees organizational activities including strategic planning,

program development and management, membership recruitment and retention, as well as education and outreach for the purpose of supporting philanthropy in Iowa.

Kari started her career in philanthropy in eighth-grade as a youth grantmaker. She earned her B.A. in Nonprofit Management from the University of Northern Iowa in 2011 and completed her M.A. in Philanthropic Studies at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in May 2013. Kari lives in Dubuque, Iowa with her husband, Jeramy.

Agenda:8:00am Complimentary refreshments and check-in8:15am Welcome8:30am Breakout #1 (Choose 1)A. Volunteers can do it all: how to engage across your entire organization. Lead by Lauren Finke- Executive Director, Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley

B. Art of sustainable grant seeking. Lead by Constance Grimm- Director of Grants and Resource Development, Hawkeye Community College

9:40am Breakout #2 (Choose 1)C. All I want to do is raise some funds: Practice the power of word choices to inspire action like never before. Lead by Lori J. Jacobwith- Founder, Ignite Fundraising.D. Grantwriting Do's and Don'ts and exclusive UNI Foundation Directory review. Lead by Angie Widner- Executive Director, YMCA.10:45am All session keynote: Sharing powerful impact stories to create action. Lead by Lori Jacobwith, Ignite Fundraising.12:00pm Conclude

Cost: AFP/CVNA members free and have 1st priority to space if registered by September 1. All non-members can register after September 1st for a charge of $25. Please click here to register for this great workshop by September 19th.

Member Spotlight...

Covering your basic needs with our reliable community services.

Eye Of The Needle, Inc. helps you by providing social services at no cost. We have provided the community with necessities they need for 10 years.

If you are in need of clothing, furniture, household items or transportation, we provide these services to all ethnicities. Our social services are here for you at no cost for 10 years. We offer you coats, blankets, linens, school supplies, baby diapers and hygiene products to cover your basic needs.

If you are in need of basic means of living, Eye Of The Needle, Inc. has you covered. They offer a wide-range of products and GUARANTEE efficient and effective services followed by our guidelines. Among some of our services, we provide transportation, gas money, doctor appointments and school.

To read more on this great organization and to see all that they have to offer, please
click here.

Eye of the Needle has been a valued member of the CVNA since 2012-- thank you for your continued support.

Free Webinar Opportunities...

JOB: Transforming Business Models WEBINAR

This webinar on August 8, 2017 from 12 - 1 pm discusses financial structure of nonprofits, broken down into four core components. These components: revenue mix, infrastructure and expenses, program cost, and capital structure, define the business model that creates value for the community and sustains the business entity.

Presenter Janet Ogden-Brackett -
A graduate ofThe University of St. Thomas, serves on the board of directors forTwin Cities Film Festival, The Danish American Center and is on the finance committee for the Family Tree Clinic. She has been with the Nonprofits Assistance Fund for 15 years where she has grown the loan fund from $4 million to $26 million, and has overseen the increase in clients served through lending, technical assistance and training.

Establishing Tech Policies to Protect Your Nonprofit

Are you providing guidance to help staff members avoid scams, malicious software, and the inappropriate handling of data? Do staffers use their personal phones or computers to do work? What guidelines are in place to make sure your social media posts are appropriate? Do you know what to do if your offices experience a flood or fire?

If you don't have written policies-and regular training to ensure that people understand those policies-your organization may be facing bigger risks than you think. This course will walk you through the questions you should consider as you develop policies to protect your nonprofit.

Throughout this course, you will:

Consider the various risks your nonprofit faces and the level of risk you're comfortable with.

Ask yourself important questions about what is and is not acceptable use of organization resources and tools.

Learn how to manage people and data to keep your organization safe from malicious attacks and honest mistakes.

Walk through the pros and cons of whether staff members should use their personal devices for work.

Consider the ways you can partner with your staff members to protect organization data on personal devices.

Review what you'll need to do if your office experiences a major disaster such as flood, earthquake, or ransomware.

All sessions take place Thursday at 1:00 pm Eastern and last for 90 minutes.

August 10: Acceptable Use and IT Security

Computers and office software are so familiar it's easy to assume that everyone knows what's OK and what's not. But that false sense of security can cause a lot of problems. This session will help you develop clear guidelines for what is and is not acceptable on organization devices and networks. We'll also provide IT security tips to guide your policy so that you're less likely to fall victim to ransomware and other malicious software.

August 17: Bring Your Own Device Policies

Nonprofits and staff members appreciate the convenience of being able to do work at home or on the road using a personal device. However, without good policies, the blurred lines between work and personal life can cause issues and put your data at risk. We'll discuss what to consider as you develop a policy for that's fair and protects your organization.

August 24: Disaster Recovery

The potential for disaster is everywhere. Hurricane, flood, tornado, earthquake-and those are just the big ones. What will you do if your systems are infected with ransomware or someone accidentally deletes important files? What about if your executive director or top IT staff storms out and takes all of their institutional knowledge (and passwords) with them? We'll walk you through the potential disasters and guide you through developing a plan that will help you get your organization back up and running as quickly and as safely as possible.

Please remember as a CVNA member you get to utilize this webinar at a discounted rate. Please go to our website and click on member's only section to get your login information. To sign up for these webinars, please click here.

CVNA News...

We are very proud to share our new video with all of you. Thank you to everyone who participated in making this possible. Please click on the link below to enjoy this short but rewarding message.

Share your good news with the CVNA and be featured in future e-newsletters. Have you implemented an innovative idea? Are you hiring? Have you created or updated your website?
Are you hosting an event? Let the CVNA spread the word.

To submit an item for the next newsletter, click on the submit news page. Please note that only member organizations who have submitted membership applications may post items. The newsletter is published every two weeks.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

CVNA is pleased to announce the topics of our upcoming education events for the year ahead:
2017

August 3rd - Board Engagement

August 8th - Marketing Meet-Up

September 20th - CVNA/AFP Workshop

September 28th - Grant Gurus

October 5th - Effective Meeting Planning Design

December 1st - Legislative Forum

There will also be some added"special training" presentations for 2017 so for
the most updated